Response of Different Sowing Dates on Growth and Yield of Different Cultivars of Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Abstract

Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) productivity is influenced by sowing time and cultivar selection. The present study evaluated the response of three field pea cultivars to three sowing dates under the agro-climatic conditions of Utlou, Manipur, during the 2024–2025 Rabi season. The experiment was conducted at the Research Farm of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Institute of Agricultural Sciences using a factorial randomised block design with nine treatment combinations and three replications. The sowing dates were 30 December 2024, 10 January 2025, and 20 January 2025, while the cultivars were Rachna, Prakash, and Aman. Growth and yield attributes were recorded during crop development and at harvest. Sowing on 30 December produced the highest mean plant height at harvest (57.27 cm) and grain yield (13.56 q/ha), whereas sowing on 20 January produced the lowest corresponding values of 52.23 cm and 11.66 q/ha. Among the cultivars, Aman recorded the highest plant height at harvest (61.37 cm) and grain yield (13.82 q/ha). The interaction between sowing date and cultivar was also significant. The 30 December × Aman combination recorded the highest grain yield (14.87 q/ha), while the 20 January × Prakash combination recorded the lowest yield (10.56 q/ha). These results indicate that earlier sowing, particularly with Aman, was associated with improved field pea growth and yield under the conditions of the study.